Brick-tongs.



L. F. CAHILL.

BRlCK TONGS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 3, 1914.

Patented A101". 20, 11911.5.

THE NORRIS PETERS CO. PHOTOJJTHOU WASHINGTON. D. C.

LEO F. CAHILL, OF ELMIRA, NEW YORK.

BRICK-TONGS.

Application filed July 3, 1914:.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEO F. CAHILL, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Elmira, York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brick-Tongs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved brick tongs for facilitating the laying of brick pavements or in similar operations where bricks or blocks are required to be transported short distances in order to be placed in convenient reach of the workmen finally placing the same.

This invention is especially useful in laying brick pavement where four tiers of brick are laid at the same time and it is important to have the brick brought from the curb to the street and placed in piles of four each, in order that they may be quickly handled by the pavers. This is now usually done by hand which is a slow method, and owing to the fingers of the carriers becoming sore they are frequently not careful in piling the bricks.

The main object of this invention is to provide a carrier which will transport the bricks piled one upon the other in a neat pile, and release them as such, instead of clamping the brick in a horizontal row and carrying and releasing them in such position, which is the mode of operation of numerous other kinds of brick tongs.

Another object is to provide a conveyer in which the danger of chipping the bricks in transit is reduced to a minimum.

Another object is to provide an inexpensive tongs which is also simple, light and easy to construct, but at the same time is of ample strength and durability.

Other objects, features and advantages of this invention will be set forth in the following specification and will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

Tn the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved brick tongs, the tongs in solid lines being shown in operative position engaging a pile of bricks and the tongs showingthe movable arm in dotted lines, shows the releasing position. Fig. 2 is an end elevation looking toward the left in Fig. 1.

The invention consists of two main angular members pivoted together in the ordinary manner of constructing tongs, one mem- Specification of Letters Patent.

county of Chemung, State of New.

Patented Apr. 211 1915. Serial No. 848,849.

ber only being produced beyond the pivotal point to form the handle, gravity being depended upon to produce the clamping or tonging force.

In the drawings 10 and 11 represent the main members, which are pivotally connected by the bolt 12 of ordinary construction, the member 11 being bifurcated at the joint and extending on both sides of member 10. Both members 10 and 11 are flat metal bars each bent at a single point through a right angle so as to form an L-shaped piece. They are bent at such points that each l.-shaped piece has arms of different length. The horizontal arm of member 11 is made slightly longer than the length of a brick while the vertical arm is proportioned according to the number of bricks to be carried. The vertical arm of member 10 is longer than that of member 11 so that it projects up above the pivot 12 to give ample clearance to the handle 13. The horizontal arm of member 10 is long enough to allow the center of the handle to be exactly over the center of gravity of the bricks. This insures steadiness of the bricks during transportation. Suitable grips 14 are fastened by rivets 15 to member 10 to form a comfortable handle.

Toward their lower ends the vertical arms of members 10 and 11 are bent slightly inwardly toward each other in order to insure that the upper bricks will not interfere, by any chance variation in size or careless piling, to prevent the members 10 and 11 firmly clamping the lower brick.

To the lower ends of the clamping members are fastened by rivets 17, any ordinary type of flange or guard which prevent the brick from slipping downwardly and falling from the tongs when in course of transportation.

Guards 17 are fastened by rivets 18 to the horizontal arm of member 11 which are designed to prevent the bricks from falling out sideways during conveyance. These members 17 may be of any suitable shape or design and may be fastened at various points along members 10 and 11. The distance between the downwardly projecting portions of the flanges 17 should be great enough to allow the bricks ample clearance for rapid loading and for any unusually large bricks which may be encountered in paving operations.

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The operation of the tongs isexceedingly simple and is easily understood from the foregoing description.

In loading, a brick 19 is first placed on a horizontal surface and the bricks to be carried are placed in a neat pile upon and across the bottom brick 19. The arms are spread apart, tongs lowered over the bricks and the arms allowed to come together by gravity when flanges 16 are below the lower surface of the lower brick. A lifting force, as from the hand, applied on the handle 13 will then serve to clamp. the brickstightly by the lever action of member 10 about pivot 12 as a fulcrum and to raise the pile from the ground preliminary to transportation. The release of the bricks is eft'ected in a manner exactly the reverse of the loading'operation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claimis: c

1. A tongs for carrying bricks piled one upon another in a vertical row, c omprising two members pivotally connected together, one of said members having a projection at itslower end arranged to extend under the lowermost brick in the row to positively sup- G'opies of. this port the row, and one of said members being angular and having a handle arranged over the middle of the tongs, said tongs having guards arranged to engage the uppermost brick to prevent the row of bricks from tipping, whereby the entire row of bricks may be positively lifted and held by the tongs.

A tongs for carrying bricks piled one upon another in a vertical row, comprising two members pivotally connected together and each having a projection at its lower end arranged to extend under the lowermost brick in the row to positively support all of the bricks, one of said members being angular and having a handle arranged over the middle of the tongs and the other of said members having guards for engaging opposite sides of the uppermost brick in the row to prevent the bricks from tipping sideways in the tongs.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LEO F. CAHILL.

Witnesses LEWIS- HENRY, JOHN A. MATHEws.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

